Weekend Fun

This weekend was spent with my family.  No working was involved.  Or was it?  Okay, I admit, I always have my camera anytime there's family visiting us from out of town.  My husband's brother came in and graced us with their presence and boy did we have fun.  His wife has NEVER seen the ocean, so Saturday was a full beach day.  My two year old nephew loved planting his toes in the sand for the very first time.  I won't bore you with a family slide show (you knew there was going to be one didn't you?)  but I will share my absolute favorite pic from this weekend. Enjoy!

Father's Day Photo Contest!

Since most of you that read my blog are mommas, I thought it might be fun to do a little something fun for the daddies.  Here's a contest in honor Father's Day.

The Contest Starts RIGHT NOW....

Email a non-copyrighted photo of the important man in your life having fun with your kiddos....your husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather, etc... and tell me why your guy is so special.

I will accept a limited number of entries starting now through June 1st. Pictures will be posted here on my blog and voted on publicly.  The dad with the most votes will receive a complimentary family session and photo package as my Father's Day gift!

Please be sure to include your full name and phone number in your email to carty.photography@yahoo.com.  I will confirm each entry as I receive them so if you don't get a response within 24 hours, please submit it again.  Reminder: so that everyone  is on the same playing field and to be careful not to break any copyright laws, professional images will not be considered.@yahoo.com

Curiouser and Curiouser

Today as I scrolled through my emails I came across my usual Disney Movie Fan email.  I'm always out looking for interesting props for my photography business so when I came across this, I just had to have it.  Still deciding on whether or not I want to spend that much on a new prop, but as unique as it is, it may be worth it.  We have several gardens locally making this the perfect addition to my prop collection.

More than a feeling...

I received my confirmation email this morning.  I have been approved!! I am now a participating photographer of the wonderful charity Operation: Love ReUnited.  WOW, do I feel great!  It feels so great to give back to the community, and who better to honor than the men and women of this great nation we live in?!  It's a wonderful feeling.  It's more than a feeling.  Much deeper than my words can say, I'm so greatful to the fine folks who give themselves selflessly. Stay tuned to see some patriotic works ahead.

This Memorial Day...

I have always been about giving back to the community.  I'm a Girl Scout, it's etched in my brain.  This year, I wanted to do something different, something unique that I've not done to honor the heroes who fight for my freedom as somewhat of a tribute to my military family and friends.  Because of them I am able to do what I enjoy and I want to share my joy, my appreciation with them for what they give selflessly.  I have submitted my application to be a participating photographer with Operation: Love ReUnited.  They are a wonderful organization that provide deployment images to soldiers and their families at no cost.  Once the soldier is able to release where they have been deployed to they receive a 4x6 album of all the deployment pictures at no cost.  Those are the requirements, I have chosen to go above this and also offer an additional 10% off any of there future print orders from their sessions, whether its the deployment, a while we wait session, or the return home.  They pay the ultimate sacrifice and this is a small way for me to show my appreciation.

Welcome Home

 I had the honor of photographing this darling little two month old.  She was quite the princess and remained fairly quite throughout the shoot dispite the constant moving.  This image was one of everyone's faves.  Laying in a suitcase at the front door of their home, it looked as though she was moving in.  Indeed, she was!

Facebook Contest

We have a contest going on now till Saturday, February 20th. Invite your friends to the Carty Photography Facebook Page and encourage them to become a fan. Have them post on our wall who referred them and you'll be in the running for a sweet prize. The winner with the most referrals wins 50% off their next session fee! The perfect prize for Spring Family Portraits or upcoming Bluebonnet Sessions. Start referring today!

Changes in 2010

I have only been in the photography business for a little over three months now. I can not believe or begin to tell you about all the things I've learned from business, lighting, posing and more! Now that I have a few clients under my belt I'm also learning a bit more about pricing and marketing. I just want to let you all know, you spoke, and I listened. I'll be making changes over the next month to packaging and pricing. Sign up for my newsletter and you can have all changes emailed directly to your inbox. I have gained a few new backgrounds this last month and I'll be adding new props soon. Thank you again to all the family and friends who have been supporting and giving me the encouragement to follow my passion.

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Jessica Class of '10

Last month, I was priveledge enough to be asked to take the Senior portraits of Jessica. She is the daughter of my cousin-in-law. I met her just before my wedding in 1998. At the time she was only 7. I've watched Jessica grow over the last ten years into a beautiful woman. She is celebrating alot in 2010. Not only her 18th birthday, but graduation as well. In October, she will also be marrying her high school sweetheart. Jessica has always been more of a neice to me. I have many fond memories with her. I look forward to working with Jessica again for her engagement photos as well as her wedding. We had great fun getting her senior portraits taken care of!

The Clark Family Session

As promised, I'm back to blog about another session done in November. The Clark Family was such a pleasure to work with. Their three girls were just the sweetest thing. Each of the blessed with such big bright eyes. I enjoyed our session in the park before making our way to a local waterfall. So many great shots were taken, it's almost too hard to choose my favorite, although the one of mom and dad dancing in the sunset are pretty close to being the winner. Here are a few for a sneak peak.

Miss V

So it's been awhile since I've updated. I have been busy for the past two weekends with sessions. I do promise to blog about each and every session at some point in time. One of my first sessions last weekend was with a beautiful young lady. We started the session with Miss V being quiet and shy but by the end of the session she lively, stunning, and working the camera! It was a pleasure working with such an awesome girl.

Moving Forward...

So recently I had my first newborn photo shoot. I was nervous. Thoughts of failing ran through my head the entire drive over. This was a friend. A good friend. I've known her for three years at least. Why was I so nervous when she had so much confidence in me? I started setting up with only a few ideas in my head of what shots to get. I laid prop after prop and slowly it all started coming together. Mom & Dad were amazed at the results and loved her every portrait. I finished. I lived. It was great. That's it though. I can't ride this thrill forever. I can only move on to the next session.

My next session is a family photo shoot. Also friends. I've known mom of this girly bunch for four years. I was touched and honored when she asked me to do them for her. I'm looking forward to it. Sneek peeks to follow, of course!

It's a Girl!

She was such an angel.

Everyone loves a princess.

She opened her eyes for a only a moment. I was there to catch that sleepy look.

She was following the sound of Daddy's voice.

From the womb, she was fondly referred to as Pumpkin. That she was.

Recently a friend of mine, a very dear friend, allowed me the opportunity to take portraits of her little girl. It's been a while since I've held a baby that small. Her scent, the sound of her cooing, and the touch of her soft skin quickly too me back to when my girls were small. I spent a few hours with the family taking pictures of anything I thought they might like to cherish forever. I was very happy with the outcome. I've been getting some great feedback from her portraits and can not wait to do it again! I've already been told I am going to be taking more in just a few weeks when her new holiday hats arrive! So here are Princess E's portraits.

Keep watching. There will be more sneak peeks to come!

Follow Me On Facebook!

I have managed to update myself. Carty Photography now has its own page on Facebook. Isn't that exciting. I do believe it is! Keep following for more information and specials. They'll be coming soon now that fall is on its way.

It's finally here....

It's been a long work in progress, but I have finally completed my website. We wanted to add another page before uploading it all. I will be the first to admit, it's not as high-tech as some others I have seen and loved, but its simple and to the point which is what I like and hope customers will too. I've also created a family and friends package available for the month of August. This is a sweet deal only available to the ones I hold dear to me. Check it out when you get the chance http://www.peggycartyphotography.com/Monthly-Specials.html.

Urban Teen

I recently found this awesome red building in my small town of Willis. I've driven by it many times and never thought anything about it. Recently, I took a short cut on the street behind this building. What normally would have just been a worn out back door with overgrown weeds around the steps became more to me as I invisioned it as the perfect backdrop for Senior portraits, you know the kind with the urban flair to it. Naturally, just starting out on this adventure I have no sessions booked until August so I was off to photograph my neice as usual. She had the look to pull it off. I really L-O-V-E the outcome and judging by all the OMG's I got, she did too. Have a look.

Oh Its Fun to be One!

My favorite wiggle worm is getting ready to turn one. I can't believe I've watched this little girl grow. I was there the day she came home from the hospital and I'm still here as she crosses a major milestone in her life. I had the opportunity to photograph her this past week in search of the perfect portrait for her birthday party invites.

My Girls

My favorite subjects to shoot are of course, my girls. I've taken a few and wanted to share what I've created. Some photos of them I find need no editing and look better in the truest form. Others, I find I can create a totally different image just by editing color or light. Their smiles bring out the best in me.

Lights, Camera, Action...

Okay, so I only have the camera and the action, but soon I will have the lights as well. I am still in the process of purchasing a lighting kit. Which to buy? I don't want the cheapest equipment, but since I am just starting this project I don't want to spend money on the top of the line equipment just yet either. We, my husband and I, have discussed it and I do believe we've found the one that's just right for me and my camera, a Sony DSLR A200. I'd love to invest in another more professional camera, but I do feel the one I have does the job perfectly. Even more so when I change the lens and such. So let's recap on what I've done so far in this endeavor. I have my camera, I have a website (www.peggycartyphotography.com), I have a price list for services and portrait packages, and I also have this blog ;o). I created my logo, which is proudly displayed on this blog. I have also chosen to make it somewhat transparent so that it can be used as my watermark for my images as well. Can we say "dual purpose?" So far so good and I look forward to posting more as I learn it.